PHILADELPHIA -- It was a scheduled off day last week when Breanna Stewart happened to be in the women's basketball office, and she poked her head inside coach Geno Auriemma's office to say hello. That was her sole intention. A quick greeting and then move on with her day.

What transpired, however, was one of those patented heart-to-heart conversations that Auriemma has with his players from time to time.

They talked about Stewart's goals, what she has to do to achieve them, areas where she needs to improve and how she needs to approach practice every day. The talk had a lasting impact on Stewart, with her play on the court reflecting the message she received.

"I think it did help," Stewart said. "I think that sometimes it's good to just kind of talk to Coach. What he had to say I think really helped refocus me. Not to say that I was unfocused, but after talking to him, I had a clearer mindset of what I wanted to accomplish this season. What I want to accomplish this season is to go out every night and be the best player on the floor if I can."

Just two days after scoring 29 points against South Florida, Stewart summoned one of the greatest offensive performances in the rich history of the program in a 93-56 win over Temple Tuesday night. She scored a career-high 37 points, making 15-of-19 shots from the field (3-of-5 3-pointers) in 30 minutes.

It was the eighth-highest single-game scoring total in team history and the most since Maya Moore had 38 at Syracuse on Feb. 24, 2010. Nykesha Sales set the team record with 46 against Stanford Dec. 21, 1997.

"She's a pretty unique player in college basketball today," Auriemma said. "There's a lot of things that she does that are very, very difficult to do that she makes look real easy. And I'm glad we have her."

Stewart, who made 12 of her first 13 shots, had 25 points in 18 minutes in the first half. She scored 15 points over the final 7:35 of the half to spark a 27-9 run by the Huskies.

"Stewie's just incredible," UConn senior Stefanie Dolson said. "She makes shots that no one else can make. I had no idea she had 37 until after the game and she does it with such ease. It's something that God gave her and she's just ... a freak."

Who knows how many points Stewart might have scored had Auriemma left her in the game for a longer period in the second half? She left the game for good with eight minutes left, having scored at least 25 points for the sixth time this season.

"Incredible, 37 points on anybody is a great game," UConn sophomore Moriah Jefferson said. "But she's capable of those games all the time, so it doesn't really surprise me that much. We're really proud of her and every day she seems to be getting better."

Jefferson said she thought Stewart's intensity level has been greater and she has a greater focus on every play since her chat with Auriemma.

To no surprise, Stewart has lofty goals. She now seems to have a greater vision of how to achieve them.

"I want to be the best player in the country," Stewart said. "I want to, obviously, win a national championship. And I think goals like winning a national championship every year, not just win one national championship. I want to win four if I'm going to be here for four years."

Stewart has scored in double figures in a career-high 13 straight games, averaging 20.8. She is also averaging 8.8 rebounds and has five double-doubles in this span.

There is still much room for Stewart to improve. And her career is only 58 games old.

"When you sit down with her and we talk, there's a lot of things that she still wants to get better at," Auriemma said. "And (Tuesday's) probably an indication of all the things that she can do. It's fun to watch. When she gets going like that, it's fun to watch."